THE City of Vancouver was alerted just before 6 a.m. on Thursday to a bunker oil spill from a ship in English Bay which occurred Wednesday evening.
The City said the fuel is toxic and boaters and watercraft operators should stay away. Do not to go to the beaches to offer assistance as there are potential health risks.
If you see any of the fuel wash up on shore, do not touch it. Instead, call the Coast Guard at 1-800-889-8852.
The City’s Vancouver Emergency list on Twitter provides the most up-to-date information.
The City is actively working to support a coordinated response with partners, including:
Port Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, Vancouver Coastal Health, Canadian Coast Guard, and West Coast Marine Rescue Center.
The City has also activated the Emergency Operations Centre and is tightly monitoring the issue. Staff have also been sent to the Coast Guard operations centre.
Management of a spill is the responsibility of the federal government through the Coast Guard, the Port, and their contracted agency for cleanup.
However, City staff, including Park Rangers, are in place to monitor the City’s shoreline and have advised other municipalities that share the foreshore of Burrard Inlet.
Biologists and wildlife experts are also on site to assist in assessing impacts of the spill on shoreline and wildlife.
THE federal NDP said on Friday that the bunker fuel spill should serve as a wakeup call for Canadians. The Conservative government must do more to improve Canada`s ability to respond to spills in the marine environment.
“It’s been almost five years since the Auditor General warned that Canada is not prepared to respond to major oil spills,” said NDP Environment Critic Megan Leslie. “Yet the Conservatives continue gutting environmental protections and slashing resources tasked with monitoring and responding to spills.”
Instead of following recommendations from the Auditor General’s 2010 report, the Conservatives cut Environment Canada’s 2012 budget. The cuts resulted in the closure of the spill response office in Vancouver, due to the consolidation of Canada’s regional spill offices.
“The Conservatives must take protecting our coastal communities more seriously,” said NDP Fisheries and Oceans Deputy Critic Fin Donnelly. “The Conservatives’ broad cuts to the Canadian Coast Guard, including the Kitsilano base here in Vancouver, and its Marine Communication and Traffic Centres across the country have only set the stage for an unthinkable disaster.”
